CofC Softball Sweeps NC Central

DURHAM, N.C. – The College of Charleston softball team cruised to a doubleheader sweep of North Carolina Central on Wednesday afternoon. The Cougar bats sprung for 12 hits in both contests and 15 combined RBIs en route to 8-2 and 8-0 victories.

Both Cougar starting pitchers were highly effective in the circle and neither surrendered a run in their outings. Stephanie Saylors (Easley, S.C.) went five innings allowing just one hit while striking out six in game one; and Valerie Cassell (Edison, N.J.) went the first four innings with five strikeouts and three hits in game two.

Cassell also proved to be a tough out to record as a hitter, as she went 3-for-4 with a double and scored twice on the offensive side.

Mackenzie Maples (Corona, Calif.) went 5-for-7 on the day and drove in three runs, including a solo homerun in game two. Kristy Giragosian (Charlotte, N.C.) also homered for the Cougars, one of her three hits on the day.

CofC (21-16, 8-6 SoCon) returns to league play with another pivotal series against Chattanooga this weekend. The teams will come in to the series tied in the win column, with the Cougars having played two more league games thus far. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 13 and a single game on Sunday, April 14. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. both days.

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: 8, NC CENTRAL: 2 The Cougars jumped on the Eagles early and often, plating at least one run in every inning but the fifth while Saylors and Alex Pizzoli (Livingston, N.J.) combined to silence the Eagle bats.

In the first, Ashton Jarrett (Hanahan, S.C.) began the game with an infield single and the Cougars manufactured her from there, moving her around the bases on a groundball and sacrifice fly before she scored on an RBI single from Chandler Frisbie (Lawrenceville, Ga.).

Maples hammered the first pitch of the second inning and the ball hurried down the right field line and well over the fence in the right field corner, making the score 2-0.

The Cougars continued to build their lead in the third when Kelsey Hodgson (Woodstock, Ga.) walked and Frisbie singled, and they both scored on Rebecca Mueller’s (Fair Oaks, Calif.) RBI single later in the frame.

CofC scored once again in the fourth with Giragosian getting on base on a fielding error and scoring on Jarrett’s two-out RBI single.

The Eagles finally managed to keep the Cougars off the board in the fifth, but the sixth saw the Cougars load the bases and Carly Hansis (Little River, S.C.) draw a walk to score a run and push the score to 6-0.

The Cougars loaded the bases once again with three consecutive singles to start the seventh, and Jordan Trgovac (Green Bay, Wisc.) doubled to plate two runs and earn her first collegiate RBIs.

Cami Hampton hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, but the Eagles would get no closer as those would account for their only two runs on the day.

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON: 8, NC CENTRAL: 0 The Cougars poured on the offense again in the second game, plating two runs in each of the first two innings and then surging for four runs in the fourth to enforce the eight-run rule.

Jarrett led off with another single and scored on a Hodgson double with a 2-2 count and one out in the first inning. Frisbie, the next batter, singled down the right field line and Hodgson scored easily on the play.

In the second, Cassell doubled over the head of the center fielder and then Giragosian pulled a ball down the line in left which sailed beyond the outfield fence and pushed the score to 4-0.

Giragosian led off the fourth inning and drew a full-count walk after extending her at-bat by spoiling a few pitches until watching for ball four. The senior took second on a passed ball and scored when Carly Corthell (Reno, Nev.) singled back up the middle. Corthell made her way to third base before scoring on a squeeze play with Lizzy Vaughn (Placerville, Calif.) laying down the RBI sacrifice bunt. Hodgson then reached on a throwing error and Frisbie followed with a single to left, and the pair scored on a Maples single up the middle which capped off the four-run fourth and put the Cougars in position to close out the game in five innings.